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As my tank of vitriol regarding those who believe in fail-proof trains begins to run out, I'd just like to say a word about stations.
We've gone a long way from the stairway-intensive, rampless stations of bygone days to passenger rail systems where even the smallest station has a ramp or elevator to accommodate those who can't negotiate stairs. Commuter systems spend gobs of cash buying low-floor trains or high-level platforms for the same reason. Those are the principle areas where stations of yesteryear failed the riding public.
People still fall off or are pushed from platforms. With a few exceptions, stations do not have fences or railings that bar someone from the tracks and are removed when a train comes to a stop. Once on the platform, it's the duty of all riders to keep away from the edge. The bright yellow strips are not there to make the station look pretty.
Should we give each person who has a ticket a little electronic chip that shocks them if they get to close? How about just a collar? Like a dog. Do we have to stop trains outside the stations if anyone is within a certain distance of the tracks when the train comes? Imagine the lengthened schedules that already-padded Amtrak would need then!
Bottom line: You can't build any mechanical transportation system totally fail-proof. You must simply utilize the best engineering and technical innovations you can find at any one time and hope for the best. Something is still going to crack, break, or fall off. It happens. If anyone, particularly a politician, tells you otherwise, don't believe them.
©2019 - C. A. Turek - mistertrains@gmail.com
